Dan Ballard stoops to conquer Coventry and send delirious Sunderland into play-off final

So there will be more red and white stripes on Wembley Way than a cough candy jar on May 24. With the hourglass down to the last grains of sand, Dan Ballard - who had been outstanding at the back all night - headed the goal that took to the Championship play-off final.

When Enzo Le Fee swung in a corner from the left flank, Ballard climbed highest to send geiger counters into meltdown with a thumping finish in off the bar. The Stadium of Light literally shook in the mayhem, and Sky Blues boss looked utterly crestfallen at his side’s undeserved fate.

On balance of play, it was robbery. Heartbroken Coventry were vastly superior for most of a frenzied contest, but as red smoke augmented the pockets of mist drifting in off the Wear, Ballard booked a showdown with Sheffield United a week on Saturday.

Lampard pulled off an audacious play-off heist at Elland Road six years ago as divine retribution for Leeds’ Spygate’ skulduggery. His magic touch absconded against at Wembley in the final, but this time only luck deserted him.

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Sunderland are now just 90 minutes from ending their eight-year exile from the top flight, and the minority of clowns who invaded the pitch could not diminish their celebrations.

After ripping off his shirt and disappearing in the rhapsody of flags, flares and scarves, breathless Ballard emerged to admit: "It's what dreams are made of really. The fans were absolutely incredible.

"It was just feeling like it wasn't going to be our day and all the lads were desperate to try and give them something to celebrate.

"What a dramatic finale… the stuff dreams are made of, but I was just so determined. I can't remember what happened, it just happened like that. Some feeling that.”

Exhausted Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris said: “We were probably too nervous in the first part of the game … in extra time, we were better, we played our football.

“It’s a semi-final at home, a goal up – I think we were caught between two attitudes. Once they scored, then we felt we had to score.

“We had a list [of penalty takers] but the corner kick was fantastic for Ballard. They deserve it, and now we have a fantastic final to play.

“Ballard is a strong man at the back, really important for us. Tonight, we’ll enjoy it and switch on for the final very soon.”

Devastated Lampard said: “We wanted to go to Wembley but sometimes the gods conspire against you.

“Our fans will be going home proud of their team and I’m just disappointed for them that they don’t get the trip to Wembley they deserve.”

For the third year running, the Sky Blues landed on the wrong side of fine margins.

Pipped on penalties by Luton in the Championship play-off final in 2023, they were denied the Hans Christian Andersen of all fairytale comebacks in the semi-finals 12 months ago.

Victor Torp’s disallowed goal against , on the flimsiest of VAR decisions, remains the worst profanity of all interfering jobsworths’ meddling - worse than telling a five-year-old on Eve that Santa Claus isn’t real. But after Milan van Ewijk’s blunder conceded the initiative to the Black Cats in the first leg, Coventry had to make the running in a roaring citadel fortified by a tidal wave of pre-match pageantry. And they rose to the challenge admirably.

Jimmy Montgomery, the 1973 Cup final hero and Sunderland’s record appearance maker, christened his eponymous stand at the Stadium of Light before kick-off.

In true party spirit, Sunderland had the electronic advertising boards moved 6ft closer to the pitch - to deny Coventry long throw specialist Van Ewijk a long run-up to launch his doodlebugs. But the Sky Blues didn’t need set piece sterility to dominate the game.

Jack Rudoni and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto both spurned presentable opportunities from six yards out before Rudoni poked Ephron Mason-Clark’s knock-down over from even shorter range.

With Sunderland penned in for long spells, the expectant din of a 46,550 full house on Wearside was often reduced to a nervous hush.

Black Cats defender Trai Hume came closest to breaking the impasse with an acrobatic volley turned aside smartly by Wilson, but the home side’s luck didn’t deserve to hold out - and 15 minutes from time finally it cracked.

Van Ewijk’s deep cross picked out Mason-Clark and the former Peterborough winger cushioned his sixth goal of the season into the corner on the volley.

And Haji Wright spurned a glorious chance to send the Sky Blues to Wembley in the dying seconds of normal time - but sent his header wide.

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